Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Okinawa and Narita

For one person, living is cheaper in Narita: $1,203 a month against $1,388 in Okinawa, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Okinawa
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Okinawa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Narita
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Narita Living Index

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Okinawa

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,388

/mo nomad

Narita

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Okinawa and in Narita

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Okinawa and in Narita actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Okinawa versus $1,203 in Narita.

Okinawa $1,388
Narita $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,184 in Okinawa versus $1,912 in Narita.

Okinawa $2,184
Narita $1,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,980 in Okinawa versus $2,620 in Narita.

Okinawa $2,980
Narita $2,620

Living in Okinawa is roughly 15% more expensive than in Narita, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Okinawa is 2% above, Narita is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.12 ¥1,596

$5.73 ¥904

76.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.24 ¥6,345

$41.80 ¥6,592

-3.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ¥1,110

$4.42 ¥697

59.28%

Cappuccino

$4.11 ¥648

$3.25 ¥513

26.46%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 ¥221

$0.78 ¥124

79.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 ¥145

$0.73 ¥116

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 ¥396

$2.07 ¥326

21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 ¥831

$3.22 ¥508

63.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ¥248

$1.25 ¥196

26.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 ¥324

$1.72 ¥272

19.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.76 ¥593

$3.63 ¥573

3.58%

Eggs

$1.84 ¥289

$1.98 ¥313

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.99 ¥2,837

$10.31 ¥1,626

74.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ¥756

$6.13 ¥966

-21.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.45 ¥3,541

$14.34 ¥2,262

56.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 ¥601

$5.83 ¥919

-34.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 ¥412

$2.73 ¥431

-4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ¥347

$2.91 ¥460

-24.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.26 ¥830

$4.16 ¥656

26.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 ¥376

$2.64 ¥417

-9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ¥404

$2.69 ¥423

-4.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ¥201

$1.30 ¥206

-1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ¥122

$0.82 ¥129

-6.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥616

$3.78 ¥596

3.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 ¥1,009

$6.22 ¥980

2.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥308

$1.79 ¥283

8.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ¥527

$2.09 ¥329

59.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 ¥227

$1.48 ¥234

-2.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 ¥10.3K

$64.9 ¥10.2K

0.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ¥602

$3.25 ¥512

17.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.54 ¥558

$1.62 ¥255

118.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.23 ¥1,770

$20.95 ¥3,303

-46.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ¥174

$1.03 ¥162

7.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.9K ¥3.3M

$21.8K ¥3.4M

-3.99%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$15.5K ¥2.5M

$16.1K ¥2.5M

-3.32%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$163 ¥25.7K

$131 ¥20.6K

24.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.35 ¥3,998

$24.14 ¥3,806

5.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.1 ¥8,369

$28.35 ¥4,470

87.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 ¥11.5K

$52.3 ¥8,254

39.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.9 ¥8,659

Cinema Ticket

$11.98 ¥1,890

$11.49 ¥1,811

4.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$327 ¥51.6K

$828 ¥130.6K

-60.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 ¥893.7K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

-61.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.88 ¥7,708

$62.3 ¥9,818

-21.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.35 ¥3,682

$36.42 ¥5,742

-35.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.2 ¥12.8K

$61.0 ¥9,620

33.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.7 ¥15.1K

$105 ¥16.5K

-8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$411 ¥64.8K

$540 ¥85.1K

-23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥52.3K

$334 ¥52.6K

-0.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥134.4K

$901 ¥142.1K

-5.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 ¥106.9K

$700 ¥110.3K

-3.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,422 ¥1.3M

$3,825 ¥603.2K

120.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,185 ¥186.8K

$2,316 ¥365.3K

-48.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,798 ¥283.4K

$1,258 ¥198.3K

42.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

2.64

-15.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Okinawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Narita: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Okinawa

$332 23.9%

Narita

$334 27.7% 0.6% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Okinawa

$330 23.8%

Narita

$289 24% 12.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Okinawa

$241 17.4%

Narita

$183 15.2% 24% $58

Eating Out

Okinawa

$184 13.2%

Narita

$121 10.1% 34.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Okinawa

$112 8.1%

Narita

$119 9.9% 6.2% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Okinawa

$97 7%

Narita

$75 6.3% 22.4% $22

Getting Around

Okinawa

$92 6.7%

Narita

$82 6.8% 11% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $411 in Okinawa and $540 in Narita. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Okinawa pays 43% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $40 in Okinawa vs $42 in Narita. Groceries flip the comparison at $330 vs $289, with Narita cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Okinawa

🇯🇵 Narita

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

Same time as Okinawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,752

131,613

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.34 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Okinawa Narita 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Okinawa vs Narita: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Narita is about 13% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Okinawa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $411 in Okinawa versus $540 in Narita. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Okinawa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,388 per month in Okinawa versus $1,203 in Narita – Narita is about 13% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Okinawa and Narita are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Narita wins on affordability, Okinawa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.